...and your Tinky Winky too
January 20, 2005 1:14 AM   Subscribe

A child's brain is like a sponge. (NYT reg) Thank God Focus on the Family is here to save us from gay sponge brainwashing and the left's obvious agenda to get us all to Think Pink.
posted by ElvisJesus (23 comments total)
 
Focus on the Family thinks it is insidious that spongebob squarepants is endorsing a video, to get children to accept homosexuality? In the words of Ralph Nelson: "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!"
posted by Dean Keaton at 1:33 AM on January 20, 2005


Speaking of media, comedy, and Focus on the Family, check out Plugged In, where they literally count the number of profanities in films and music!

It's oddly fascinating, this mindset.

It can even be unintentionally insightful, like when they talk about A Ghost Is Born: Some acts get into a rut where every disc sounds the same. Not Wilco. This band lives to reinvent itself. But to what end? One desolate cut asks, “Is any song worth singing if it doesn’t help?” Good question.

But it is mostly obscenely stupid and naive, especially since they think R. Kelly is cleaning up his act: R. Kelly had more Top-40 hits in the ’90s than any other male solo artist. They included “Sex Me,” “Feelin’ on Yo Booty” and “Bump n’ Grind.” Headlines about sex with minors and kiddie porn followed. For the most part, these 21 tracks reflect a “holy different” attitude. Pray that this is the R. Kelly we’ll be getting from now on. I'm relieved to know putting out a gospel-themed album is all it takes to atone for kiddie porn.

Wow. Oh, and yeah, Spongebob, whatever, nobody cares, it didn't stop the Teletubbies, Harry Potter, or anything else. Nickolodeon probably appreciates the free marketing.
posted by tweak at 1:33 AM on January 20, 2005


Viacom strikes again! Tricking us into thinking about them. Giving them power through attention, and attention is the power of gods!
posted by TwelveTwo at 2:03 AM on January 20, 2005


I don't care if this video opens with Spongebob announcing to the world that he's gay, and that he and Patrick are getting married. I'm still for it.

Screw these assholes who prey on other peoples religious beliefs and homophobia in order to gain power and money.
posted by mosch at 4:36 AM on January 20, 2005


Everyone knows that gays live in pineapples under the sea.
posted by picea at 5:13 AM on January 20, 2005


The video in question (realvideo)
posted by moonbird at 5:18 AM on January 20, 2005


This thing is being twisted by the right, as usual. It's not even as daring and explicit about tearing down gender roles as Free to Be You and Me was. It's a song the whole world knows, and there are no lyrics or anything that promote anything except for togetherness and unity. It's disco--it's gay?!?

How sad is it that this gets more media time and attention than Bush backing away from a Constitutional Amendment? Who's diverting attention from that betrayal of the right and why?
posted by amberglow at 5:23 AM on January 20, 2005


Little kids shouldn't be tricked into homosexuality. This is very dangerous.
posted by drscroogemcduck at 5:58 AM on January 20, 2005


What I wonder is how long this video has been available that FoF is getting ticked about it now. (I wonder because it has Steve from Blues Clues in it, and Steve hasn't been on Blues Clues for several years now.)
posted by headspace at 6:01 AM on January 20, 2005


I've always been baffled by the right's idea that, not hating gays = being gay. Like if we don't teach our kids to hate gays, they will become gay.
posted by MrBobaFett at 6:27 AM on January 20, 2005


What do the parents of the religious right tell their kids who have friends that may have two mums or two dads?

"You can't play with them because their family isn't normal!"?

I dunno. I live in Australia. Sydney is pretty much the gay capital of the world with Perth trying to take it away from them. I've never had to deal with a large contingent of the homophobic religious right.
posted by Talez at 6:33 AM on January 20, 2005


That is exactly what they say Talez, but they might substitute "evil" or some other stronger word for "not normal."
posted by caddis at 6:37 AM on January 20, 2005


Oh, and scrooge I agree that this is dangerous. Trickery should never be used on children, it only teaches them to be dishonest. When children are led into homosexuality it should be done openly and without trickery. I am sure you would agree.
posted by caddis at 6:52 AM on January 20, 2005


Satire is dead.
posted by kgasmart at 7:11 AM on January 20, 2005


Oh of all the asinine....

Look, I know a little kid who is smarter than all those very pompous, religious adults at FoF. He was 6 when he watched about 10 minutes of Sponge Bob. Then he said, "Turn this off. It's too silly."

If I'm going to watch allegedly gay children's characters, give me Bert and Ernie. At least you might learn the alphabet and that you shouldn't eat cookies in bed.
posted by ilsa at 7:29 AM on January 20, 2005


This is so very confusing to me. I don't really understand what the objection is. Is it to SpongeBob and Patrick, is it to Dora, is it to Steve, is it to a positive message?

As an outreach worker to homeless youth (many who identify as LGBT) in a major metropolitan area, I have seen the effects of teaching children that homosexuality is wrong, bad, evil, dirty, etc. Any message that promotes unity, regardless of sexual identity or any other differences that the culture of fear in this country preys on, is welcome.
posted by jennababy at 8:31 AM on January 20, 2005


Republicans.
posted by bardic at 8:48 AM on January 20, 2005


that you shouldn't eat cookies in bed.

A useful lesson, because you don't want your life partner to have sand in her vagina crumbs up his crack. No wonder Bert was so damned crabby.
posted by trondant at 8:52 AM on January 20, 2005


. . . but why was Ernie so happy?
posted by caddis at 8:56 AM on January 20, 2005


This video doesn't bother me. The preview I saw of Spongebob and Patrick singing "It's Raining Men"? That one I might have an issue with.

I'm kidding, of course. I do find it funny how much power silly cartoons seem to have over children in these people's minds. Beavis and Butt Head made kids burn down their trailers. Spongebob makes kids catch "teh gay". Perhaps they would be better off finding the power switch on the TV set, flipping it in the other direction, and just sending the poor kids outside to play for a while...
posted by caution live frogs at 9:36 AM on January 20, 2005


I hear Fox is now hard at work developing a more appropriately-oriented role model:

SpongeBill LoofahPants.
posted by groundhog at 10:00 AM on January 20, 2005


I've always been baffled by the right's idea that, not hating gays = being gay. Like if we don't teach our kids to hate gays, they will become gay.
posted by MrBobaFett at 6:27 AM PST on January 20


Does it have anything in common with the "N****r lover" epithet from around the Civil War era?
posted by PurplePorpoise at 11:41 AM on January 20, 2005


thanks a lot for the "Plugged In" link, tweak! i can't stop reading their rap/hiphop reviews... they're hilarious. i can't believe that hard-core christian reviewer would actually take the time to review all these albums by dmx, jadakiss, etc for 'positive' and 'negative' content. as if somehow he's gonna find that one snoop dog album that passes his christian bar. can't they just give a big thumbs down to the entire genre? i guess then i wouldn't be able to enjoy their trenchant commentary on The Bloodhound Gang "Hooray for Boobies". Wonder whether or not they're gonna recommend that one...
posted by jcruelty at 2:21 PM on January 20, 2005


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